Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-02-16
from the Baltimore Sun, February sth.l
Til Prohibition Cause.
4 BATTLING SPEECH By Ex-eov. ST. JOHN
IN BAIT MORE.

IN BAIT MORE.
Ex-Gov. John P. st. John, of Kansas,
and Mr. VIM. Daniel. of Maryland, the pro-
hib ton candidates for President and Vice
President n 1884, occupied the pulpit plat
form at the First M. E. Church, Fayette
and Charles streets, last night. With them
were Joshua lowering, who presided, Rev;
DIR. Grammer, of Peters P. Z. Church, and
Rev. DR.. Longnecker, of Mount Vernon M.
E. Church, who opened with prayer. The
church was crowded down stairs and IN the
galleries, most of the audience being ladies'.
Mr.. st. John lectursd on 'The Great
Question of the Age He was received
with loud applause. He asked all to bear
in mind the text, s'Woe unto the world be-
cause Of offenses, for it must needs be that
offenses come; but woe unto the man by
whom the offense cometh. He added: "And
woe to that city, woe to that State, woe to
that country by whom the offense cemeth.
Continuing, MIR. ST. John said: "fhls Is a
free country, and all have right to belong
to whatever church or party they want, and
whoever attempts to interfere with tnat
freedom is an enemy of civil government
l trust no prohibitionist will become so
narrow and soullesS as to make faces at his
neighbor because he differs in politics or re-
ligion. The fight must be won, not by
abuse, but by appeals to the heart and rea-
son. I will not even say an unkind word
of saloon-keeper. 1t is out OF place to
abuse man for engaging in lawful ousl-
ness. / am unable to see the difference
between the saloon and the man who keeps
it; between the saloon and the law which
protects it; between the law and the church
deacon who votes for it. When they all
come before the Judgment, God will not
take time to grant separate trials, but
will deem all alike guilty. Applause j
We are told that it can't be helped; that
we are in miserable minority. I'm used
to that, and l like it. Laughter Igno
rance and prejudice are hard to overcome.
I speak from experience, for l have had
both. Laughter When Noah was
floating around in the ark and looked out
on the big majority in the water, none OF
those with him wanted to go over to the
majority. Laughter. But many would
have been glad to have gone over to the
minority with Noah" Laughter MIR.
81. John then related an instance where he
and five other boys went to ''borrow" ap-
ples from an orchard. He remained on the
ground and the others went up the tree
The farmer came and St. John got outside
the fence, and when he heard the cries of
the majority inside with the owner of the
apple tree, he found it not unpleasant to be
in the minority. s'But the question is, not
are we in the majority or in the minority,
but are we right. Some say there is no
IL ing in this question. If 80, the intel
ligence of the American people can be re
lied on to put it down. If right, it can't
be cried down nor lied down. Applause.
If it wins, you can't build stone wall high
g ough, with barbed wire On top, to keep
such papers as the New York Tribune aud
the leading politici n out of the new party.
Laughter and applause. They will eve
bring certificates to show they were charter
members, and had to whip such fellows. as
St. John and Daniel into line. Laugh
ter.
a5"There ssare 215, 900 retail liquor-saloons
in the country, CONSUMING nine hundred
millions of the peoples money yearly, and
indirectly six hundred millions more fol
aims -honsts .jails, re"itentiaries and lost
time. Yet the poll icians say the tariff is
the great issue. Tue present protective
system has ten times as much politics as il
has protection in it. 1t gives ten dollars
worth of protection to the capitalist to every
dollars worth it gives the labor of the
country. { A 'plause.] We need protection
to the home, md unless we give it, while
the mercy of God endureth forever, His
patience will cease, and this nation will see
inscribed on the wall, Weighed in the
balance and found wantisg'
'fFor every dollar we expend to educate
we contribute SIS to the Liquor trafic-$1i
to tear down and 81 to build up. The Vi i
tied States is the boss saloon-keeper. 1t is
the principal partner in every saloon to the
extent of $25 year and 80 cents a gallon.
The government gives greater protection
to the distillery than it does to any church,
schoolhouse, home, mother or babe IL
arms" Mr.. st. John thea cited the case
Of the Chicago internal revenue col
lector posting notice on distillery during
the riots last year, in which he said the
government would protect the properly
Near by was new and fine church, whose
minister asked the collector tie extend this
protection to the church, which could be
done with no additional trouble, but the
collector replied that the government is
not protecting churches. The.governmeni
don't get ninety cents gallon on every
gallon of religion. If you buy still and
go to making whiskey in the church, we
will protect your property. When the
mob passes you can move the still into the
cellar. There was protection for the STILL
but none for the church. Laughter i A
poor widow, whose cabin was under the
caves of the distilery, also asked protection
and met with about the same answ or, SIZE
had bought the cabin by working at the
wash-tub, but the government got no reve.
nue. from that tub. When she said hsr hus.
band had been killed in the war the collector
to ofel let her move her furniture into the
distlllery. THE time is not coming" said
the speaker-'tit is here-when men will be
sent to Washington who will give greater
protection to the defenders of the nation
than to the distillery."
He referred to the existence under the
Senate Chamber and under the House OF
Representatives of saloons where 4S brands
Of iutoxicants were sold, Fand said men
should be sent to Washington with the NOR
al courage to fight them out. The Presi-
dents last message, out of $4,000 words,
had % words about the liquor traffic
These were just 20 more than had been in
the message of any previous President
"The South calls rs assistant republicans.
The North lis US assistant democrats
Not SO. We are running a creamery
[laughter] and skimming all the parties
In 1888 we will get dewn to the blue milk,
Applause, and in 1892 there will be no.
thing left but a weak mixture of chalk and
water. [Applause. We'll admit that the
democratic party is bound hand and foot by
the whisky traffic. but the republican party
is bound foot and hand. They say the
Campaign of 1884 set back the cause twenty
years. We have had more temperance
legislation since 1884 than in twenty years
before" He then spoke of the movement
for submitting the liquor question IN Mich,
Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska, MINI, Missouri,
Texas, Tenn, Penn, Ind, Conn, Col,
Ala, the CAROLYN s, Fla, and other places
and said Kas. had last week voted woman
suffrage in municipal m atters; fact not
yet published. "Whe you give Christian
women the chance to defend their homes
and boys, they'll choke the life out of this
evil in "a months, Applause, and you men
will keeping lodging all your life. Laugh
teri
NEARLY 1900 years ago there was an
election between Barrabas end Christ, and
Christ didn't get vote, not that He had
no friends, but they didn't want to throw
their votes away. A vote for principles iu
the sight Of God is never thrown away.
lApplause. Take the preachers and the